Tournament time. Did 8 games last weekend, 7 this weekend and just today decided to go watch a friend and sometimes partner call a JV girls and boys game. Problem was the other Ref didn't show. I was called out of the stands and had to run home and dress for the games. Got back to the gym just after my partner finished the 1st quarter alone.

I was kinda curious how many of you guys have had this happen and if any of you keep your ref clothes in the car just in case.

Our commissioner always says, at every meeting, to have a bag in the car just in case. And officials in earlier games are supposed to not leave until both partners show up for the next game. I've never been called out of the stands, but I worked one game alone when I could have had a partner out of the stands if either he or I had had an extra shirt in the car.

I think that's smart and will work toward that end. Besides, it would have kept me from driving a little too fast in my attempt to get back to the game before too much play had occurred. ;)

I have never been the ref pulled out of the stands but I have been the ref on the other end of the spectrum. As much as the assistance would have been appriciated, it is important that you have a life out side of basketball to keep perspective in life. I keep a bag packed at home in case I get a late day call from an assignor on a day that I have available. But I only take games on open dates in 99% of the cases. I do not rearrange my life to fit basketball. If I am at a game to watch, I am there to watch, my mind set is not the same and I do not think that I would give the best effort stepping in at the end of thefirst quarter. The games tone has already been set and I was not a part of that, I don't think you can catch up, you change the game at that point for the players. That isn't fair to them.

Were you never a Boy Scout?
 

Be prepared, my mother brought me up wrong I guess.
During the "official bsaketball season" I keep my bag in the car with my "A" outfit, for just that reason. Once the season is over I have a shirt and black shorts and a pair of older officiating shoes in a smaller bag because you never know. I went to watch a hs varsity game about 3 years ago. The gane was in a college gym where the floor was raised about four inches. During warm ups one of the officials fell off the edge of the court and broke his ankle. I was there (with my bag in the car) and did the game. You never know.

I used to live within a couple miles of 4 high schools, and, I used to get these calls at home all the time. Can't tell you the number of games I worked where I would just slide in during a dead ball.

I even worked one game in a pair of shorts, workout shirt, and borrowed whistle on an orange lanyard (Yes, I took it to the trainers room and dunked it in Alcohol).

I was using their indoor track to run laps and the AD came and grabbed me. He told me it was better to have me there out of uniform, than to go with just one. It was a JV game and I felt really wierd though (it must have been the hat head and orange lanyard).

As a youth league coach I would like to thank you fellows that walk on and give assistance. It is not required that you help out but you have to remember that the game is for the kids. I don't get paid for coaching but I do respect Refs that do their best and take a few seconds to explain calls that are not understood by the kids. As a former ref in my youth I know how hard it is to make calls that are not popular or well understood by the crowd. I have seen some ugly situations occur when one guy has to call a game and he doesn't have the second guy to back up his calls.

Last year I had to pull people out of the stands twice. Both X officials. I loaned them a shirt and a whistle and one wore bluejeans the other had a pair of black shorts to wear. This year I got an email congradulating us on the fact that there were no noshows all season.

Welcome to the Board
 

CoachB,
It should be good to have a Coach/Former Ref making opinions and observations on this forum.
mick

You may not be at your best, but even being part way there is better than leaving someone to handle a game by themselves. If it was a choice vbetween 2 or 3 man, I could see your point. But one person cannot do the job of two and the players will benefit from your stepping in, even if it is after the 1st quarter and even if you don't have your "A" game that day. Even your "B" or "C" game will be better than having a single ref.

I have been pulled from the stands after a fellow referee was injured in the middle of the second quarter! I felt a little out of synch for the remainder of the second quarter, but I treated second half more like it was the beginning of a new game!!
Always ready!

AK ref SE

In our state, a majority of our girl's varsity games are played in the afternoon while our boy's games are played in the evenings. Not always but most of the time. I had gotten out of work early one afternoon and stopped by a gym to observe two of my buddies who were working a girl's game. I had my stuff in the car because I had a game that night and was going to go grab a bite to eat before my game after work. In the second quarter of the girl's game (at the time two undefeated teams), one official blows out her knee. The other official sees me in the estands and gets both coaches together and explains that I'm there and would they like me to step in. Both agreed so off I went, got dressed and finished the game. More often than not, during the season, I keep a bag in my car because you never know. Another interesting questions is what do people pack in their bags but that is for another thread.